First identify the waste your business generates, how much, what type and where it goes. Try completing this table with your own data:

Build a management plan

Look at each of these and think about how you can reduce, re-use or recycle each one. Try focusing on the biggest categories first, then work your way through the list. Involve your team in this process and invite everyone to give their ideas on how to reduce, re-use and recycle waste around the operation.

Develop your original table with brief actions on how to Reduce, Re-use or Recycle each one:

The environmental benefits

Becoming a zero-waste, circular economy business is a major step towards eliminating carbon emissions altogether. Even using recycled materials instead of new can eliminate much of the energy in production; for example recycled aluminium uses up to 95% of energy less than new aluminium.

Research shows that the waste generated by a business is typically 4% of its turnover. You can begin to eliminate this unnecessary cost with simple measures to reduce waste in your operation.

Understand your waste

First identify the waste your business generates, how much, what type and where it goes. Try completing this table with your own data:

Build a management plan

Look at each of these and think about how you can reduce, re-use or recycle each one. Try focusing on the biggest categories first, then work your way through the list. Involve your team in this process and invite everyone to give their ideas on how to reduce, re-use and recycle waste around the operation.

Develop your original table with brief actions on how to Reduce, Re-use or Recycle each one:

The environmental benefits

Becoming a zero-waste, circular economy business is a major step towards eliminating carbon emissions altogether. Even using recycled materials instead of new can eliminate much of the energy in production; for example recycled aluminium uses up to 95% of energy less than new aluminium.

The Better Business Pack is delivered By Seacourt, recognised by the European Commission as Europe’s most sustainable SME 2017.

This is a collaborative project with OxFutures, a European Regional Development Funded partnership programme to support Oxfordshire's low carbon economy. OxFutures is a partnership between:Low Carbon Hub, Oxford City Council, University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, Cherwell District Council and Bioregional.